Thursday, February 18, 2016

Membership InformationARTSWESTERN will keep you informed whether you love arts shows and the local music scene or you're looking for theatre or interactive activities.ARTSWESTERN is the content provided for our print brochure Venues & Settings in Western Connecticut. See schedule (PDF)

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Graphic Designer, Marketing/eCommerce

Graphic Designer, Marketing/eCommerce

February 13, 2016 - March 31, 2016, 12:00 am - 6:00 am

Melissa & Doug, Wilton

Melissa & Doug, a leading children’s toy company, is looking for a talented Graphic Designer to join their team. This role will report directly to the Chief Marketing Officer while also working under the Creative Director, when applicable.
Candidates should have excellent design skills and a sense of whimsy that is applicable to children’s products. Our timeless children’s products are geared to the specialty and mass markets, and include toys, arts and crafts, activity books, puzzles and games.
This designer will support and drive the visual aesthetic for the Melissa & Doug brand worldwide (including style guide extensions and “brand look and feel”). You should have a strong graphic eye and be able to style for photo shoots and video production. You will be creating marketing and promotional materials (inserts, new product launch assets, print ads, and retail POS) in addition to web assets (email, display banners, content within video assets, site content) for MelissaAndDoug.com, and therefore should have a good sense of UX/UI for eCommerce site creative. Lastly, you should be a self-motivator with lots of enthusiasm and ability to work on high visibility projects under tight deadlines.Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

Communicate with marketing and eCommerce teams on design briefs, to set the stage and marketing objective(s) for asset creation

Design marketing, promotion, and eCommerce assets across the marketing mix, including Point of Sale and Public Relations

Assist with in-house photo and video shoots

Edit and format product imagery for placement on our website, e-mail campaigns, and in advertising materials

Work with copy editing, photography, videography and the product design team throughout the process, if applicable

Manage your own project prioritization and work plan to ensure “go live” and insertion dates are met, consistently

Advanced command of full Adobe Cloud including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign

Knowledge of print production and an understanding of its limitations.

Superb attention to detail

Strong oral and written communication skills

Ability to work in a PC-based environment

About Melissa & DougMelissa & Doug toys are designed to nurture creativity and imagination. From classic wooden toys to creative crafts, pretend play, and games, Melissa & Doug's products inspire exploration and enrich children's lives in a way that's as engaging as playtime itself!
Since the Company's founding more than 25 years ago, Melissa & Doug has consistently delivered innovative children’s products with a commitment to uncompromising quality, safety, service and value. Well-designed, durable playthings should be accessible to all, and Melissa & Doug strives to foster wonder and a lifelong love of learning in children throughout the world.Please send a resume and a portfolio sample (PDF format only. 5MB maximum size).
This position is full-time and located at our office in Wilton, CT.
NOTE: Candidates who are not US citizens or permanent residents need to have authorization to work in the US in order to apply.Benefits include: Generous compensation, medical, 401K, flexible spending plans, significant employee discounts.
Job Type: Full-time
Required experience:

•
FY2017 Regional Initiative Grants
($1,000-$4,000) will also be discussed. The deadline for the
Regional Initiative grants is July 29, 2016.

Click on
titles above for further information on each grant line. See Grants-At-a-Glance one-sheet
explanation and comparison of all grants. For the first four
grant types above, an Intent to Submit must be filed by March
15, using COA’s on-line e-granting portal accessible here. Applicants must
create an account, or sign in.

The Arts Council of Greater New HavenFriday, February 26th at 10:00am
Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Third Floor Conference
Room, 70 Audubon St., New Haven. For more information call:
(203) 772-2788

Additional sessions will be announced here once they become available.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Put On Your Sunday Clothes and prepare to get Footloose and fancy free….now in Technicolor!

Directed by Bradford Blake

June 10th _ 25th

“It Only Takes A Moment” to fall in love with this Broadway classic about professional meddler and matchmaker Dolly Levi! “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and join the Musicals at Richter family as they open their 2016 Season with Hello, Dolly! We are thrilled to have former MAR Artistic Director, Bradford Blake, put his own spin on the show before it makes its Broadway comeback in 2017.Get your tickets “Before the Parade Passes By!

Directed by Matthew Farina

July 1st – 16th

If you’ve been “Holding Out For a Hero” your wait is over! “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” Ren McCormick as he proves to his new town that “Dancing Is Not a Crime.”We are excited to have MAR alumni Matthew Farina back this year after his fantastic directorial debut last season with Hairspray. “Can You Find it in Your Heart” to support another rocking musical here at Richter?

Directed by Jane Matson

July 22nd – August 6th

Before you “Close Every Door” open your closet and take out your most colorful ensemble. “Any Dream Will Do” as we follow “Jacob and Sons,” particularly his favorite Joseph throughout this epic, multicolored musical. We are honored to welcome back Alumni Jane Matson to Musicals at Richter who is looking forward to closing our season with this large than life musical parable. “Go Go Go Joseph” and buy your tickets!

The nonprofit Friends of the Ives will present the first “Art at Ives, Juried Fine Art & Crafts Show” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12, 2016, at Ives Concert Park on the Western Connecticut State University Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. This two-day event will feature a wide variety of high-quality original works and a diverse scope of art forms representing every major category. Food and live music, along with art classes, demonstrations and children’s events also will be included. The event will be rain or shine.

The jurying and application system will be digital. Jurors will view the artists’ work and accompanying descriptions in a self-paced environment, taking the time needed to accurately evaluate each application.
Artists are invited to submit applications at www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=4739 beginning Monday, Feb. 1. The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 1. The cost is $25 to apply. A program directory and the Ives website will showcase each artist’s work and provide artist contact information.
Ives Concert Park is the ideal location to host this event that seeks to advance the visual arts in Western Connecticut by providing increased visibility for artists. The long term goal of the Art at Ives Juried Fine Art & Crafts Show is to expand awareness of the arts and enrich the artistic, cultural, educational and economic vitality of the region for years to come.
The Ives’ lush oasis of natural beauty on Danbury’s west side hosts world-renowned artists in a wide variety of music and theater genres. The venue pays tribute to its storied roots in classical music while acknowledging the ongoing evolution of the art of live performance. With entertainment that ranges from enlightening to awe-inspiring, the Ives reflects the diverse multicultural community in which it resides; embracing the unique attributes that the artists and patrons bring to the site. A common love of the arts and the beauty of nature bring fans to the grounds. Shared experiences at the Ives create the fabric of our community.
The Ives has partnered with the Western Connecticut State University Department of Art, the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut and the Brookfield Craft Center to develop this event. For more information, visit www.ivesconcertpark.com/.

We strongly encourage you to attend if
you have an interest in applying. Applies to representatives from
arts organizations, municipal art departments, artists, arts programs
of 501c-3 non-arts organizations, Pre K-12 schools and PTO's, venues
that present arts programming - all welcome! REGISTER

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

David writes, "If all artists made the kind of art that tries to please everyone what you get is a boring vanilla world made up of automatons and sheep. A lot of conceptual art is challenging to look at and think about and a lot of it is crap.....this happens with everything else, Art, Music, Literature, Theater, Dance, etc. To get to the great stuff in Art, Music, Literature, Theater, Dance, etc. you have to explore all options, by experimenting and making the work challenging. Beloved artists like Van Gogh were thought in their time to be worthless and terrible. would you throw away a Van Gogh today? It's all perspective. Sure a lot of the conceptual art is shit but after going to a museum or gallery and seeing and experiencing art what do you remember seeing? probably the conceptual art that pissed you off.....it digs into your skin and makes you look at your self differently (a lot of people don't like that and want to play it safe all the time)...and that is the point of art.... hopefully to look at yourself and your world differently. on the other hand, if you don't like looking at challenging art you can always buy the poster of a kitty hanging on a bar with the words "hang in there baby" buy that poster and stick it up on your wall, tune your radio to top golden oldies station, sit back with a cup of warm milk and enjoy your boring life."